Oops!

B printed my blog for me for Mother's Day! I love it. Tonight I made a recipe and realized a mistake. I had the wrong amount of baking soda i fixed it here and on the original blog post. I can promise you two things:
1. It won't be the last mistake I find.
2. I will post corrections as I find them.
It just so happens that J's 6th grade class has a very important standardized test tomorrow. The home room teacher is promoting the idea that if you eat a good breakfast, you will test better. So J will proudly take some pumpkin muffins to school tomorrow so that her and her classmates test better.
I had been out washing the car while she was in getting ready for bed. I come in, wet and tired to see a note hung from the top of the door frame reminding me to "Please make pumpkin muffins for J"s class". And so I did...


Mom's Holiday Pumpkin Bread
1 ½ cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg
3/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
3 T soft butter
I lazily toss dry ingredients and then add the wet. As a muffin, don’t over mix.
Bake them at 350 degrees. Time depends on size of baking cup. I prefer Texas size muffins.
Variations:
Mom always added 1/2 cup chopped walnuts and 6 oz. chocolate chips, omitting the cloves. Then she would glaze the cooled bread with a clove infused powdered sugar glaze.
I often substitute some whole wheat flour, scant the cup of sugar, use skim milk instead of buttermilk, and skip the nuts and chocolate inside. This way, I feel okay about having two!
I do like to pretty it up with a simple crumble on top:
1T cold butter
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
¼ cup oatmeal.
I pulse it in the Cusinart for a bit and throw in a few tablespoons of mini chocolate chips.
Mix-Bake-Share

Buttermilk Cookie Salad

Tonight for dinner is fish- at my in-laws home. The boys took a day off Saturday and went fishing with Grandpa. They caught 71 fish and filled my kitchen with story after story of their adventures upon their return.

My thoughts drifted toward gratitude to Grandpa for creating the perfect day, and gratitude that they were safely returned home.

A few years ago a fishing day with Grandpa was cut short and ended with us meeting up at the Emergency Room. B was learning to fly fish. A cast went amuk and the hook landed squarely in the center of his ear lobe. We eventually secured an exam room after everyone else at the hospital was triaged and moved in front of us! The nurse came in. She took a look at B, and his ear and curtly chastised him. She told him there were safer ways to pierce his ear. She left the room to get supplies.

"She thinks I did this on purpose?! She's s freak show!" B observed in disgust.

"She’s a freak show?" I asked him as we waited for her return, a fishing hook dangling from his ear...

Tonight I know just what to make to contribute to the fish fry. It's a “salad” my mom-in-law taught me to make.

I'm not too fond of fish caught in a pond, but I'll lick the bowl clean of this “salad” any day!

Buttermilk Cookie Salad

1 lb. Strawberries- cleaned, hulled and sliced, then chilled.

3 bananas, chilled. (Slice just before serving.)

1 small package vanilla pudding

1 cup buttermilk

1 8oz tub Cool Whip

4-5 single serving packages of Keebler Fudge Striped Cookies (minis).


Thoroughly mix pudding and buttermilk. Fold in Cool Whip.

Refrigerate.

Just before serving, fold in strawberries, bananas and cookies into chilled pudding mixture. Garnish with cookies.


As we go through life, opportunities present themselves daily; some of which have potential to create a lasting memory. It’s painful to reflect and think, “I wish I had.”

Saturday’s fishing trip helped me to refocus my efforts in leading my life with the resolve of being able to claim, “I’m glad I did!”

I have two boys who are certainly glad Grandpa agreed to take a day off too, and create a lasting memory at the fishing pond.